The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing technology based on gratings is the research focus in the optical fiber sensing field in recent years. The general principle and modulation methods of SPR sensors as well as the theory on grating-coupled SPR sensors are discussed. Moreover, the research achievements are comprehensively introduced, including SPR refractive index hollow core fiber sensors assisted by a fiber Bragg grating (FBG), standard optical fiber SPR sensors employing FBG or long period grating (LPG), SPR sensors based on planar integrated waveguide gratings and corrugated metal gratings, and multi-channel grating-based SPR sensors. The typical structural parameters after optimization are also summarized. Besides, the current research status and expectations of grating-based SPR sensors are given.